Full Moon in Aśvinī: The Star of Transport

FULL MOOn पूर्णिमा

Artwork by @chaya.collective - Aśvinī Kumaras

October 17th 13:26 Spain | 4:26 AM PST

 

The full moon (Pūrṇimā ) of October aligns with the first Vedic lunar mansion in the zodiac, Aśvinī (Aries), known as the star of transport. With the new moon in Hasta finding its culmination here, this period becomes a potent time, charged for new beginnings and the initiation of forward movement with your projects and plans.

Aśvinī holds the spark of latent power, igniting the unmanifest into manifestation. Ruled by the Aśvinī Kumāras, the celestial physicians to the Gods, this nakshatra embodies healing, rejuvenation, and the power of alternative medicine. Symbolized by the head of a horse, it carries the vitality and eagerness to start the journey and express ideas with a swift and determined energy. Initiatives taken now, especially those related to health and healing, are said to bear rapid results, harnessing the potency of creation itself.

Artwork: Pinterest

There’s a desire here for a fresh start and rebirth, one that lays the foundation for something enduring. This is attainable through unwavering focus and a commitment to the inner and outer purifications that may have kept you in a holding pattern. This constellation carries the swift momentum to achieve one’s objectives, much like its animal totem, the horse.  Just as the racehorse wears blinders to avoid distraction or misstep, we too must maintain singular focus, centered in our own lane. Let us remain resolute — unmoved by the opinions, expectations, or noise of the waking dream and world around us — steadfast in the pursuit of what truly matters.

Like a doorway wide open, we enter the final month of Saturn's retrograde, now in Śatabhiṣā. Take advantage of this moment to see things a little more clearly. This period offers a second chance to revisit unresolved matters from early March and April, with a fresh perspective—inviting you to approach them with newfound clarity and refined sense of mastery. 

With Jupiter also retrograde in Mṛgaśirā, the Searching Star, we are called inward—to recalibrate our inner compass and deepen our quest for truth and wisdom. This is a time for introspection, for refining the tools we carry forward on our path, and for embracing the revelations that emerge from within.

Artwork: Pinterest - Rāsalīlā

This potent full moon marks the beginning of Kārttik, one of the most sacred months in the Vedic calendar, and is celebrated as Sharad Pūrṇimā. On this night, the moon is adorned with all sixteen celestial arts (kalas), enhancing its spiritual significance. Its healing and nurturing energies are believed to be at their peak, and its light is said to carry divine nectar, offering rejuvenation to those who bathe in its glow.

Legend tells of Lord Kṛṣṇa performing the divine Rāsalīlā with the gopis of Vṛndāvan under this luminous full moon, symbolizing the union between the devotee and the divine. 

The celebration also marks the end of the monsoon season. It is believed that Goddess Lakṣmī descends to Earth on this night—her devotees seek to become absorbed in her eightfold nature, offering their hearts in devotion and reverence.

Many will engage in moon-gazing, place homemade rice pudding (kheer) under the moonlight, or immerse themselves in devotion to Goddess Lakṣmī. These rituals harness the positive energies of the moon, inviting blessings of abundance, rejuvenation, and spiritual elevation into their lives.

ॐ श्रीं महा लक्ष्म्यै नमः

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Vijayadaśamī: Victory Day

Vijayadaśamī विजयादशमी

Artwork: Goddess Durgā Slaying Mahiṣāsura, ca 1870. Bengal, India.

The Inner Victory

With the culmination of Navarātri, nine nights dedicated to honoring the divine feminine, today marks the sacred festival more commonly known as Daśaharā दशहरा, which represents the victory of good over evil. Oberserved on daśamī (the tenth day) of Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) in the month of Aśvin (September/October), vijaya (विजय) in Sanskrit means victory and daśamī (दशमी), the tenth day. 

Multifaceted Significance

In various regions of India, this festival commemorates the triumph of Goddess Durgā over Mahiṣāsura, the buffalo demon, symbolizing the restoration and protection of dhárma (cosmic order and righteousness). Concurrently, in other parts of the country, Vijayadaśamī marks the culmination of Rāmalīlā, celebrating Rāma's victory over Rāvaṇa as chronicled in the ancient epic, the Rāmāyaṇa. Additionally, the day resonates with the Mahābhārata tradition, marking when Arjuna retrieved his divine weapons from the Śamī tree, presaging the Pāṇḍavas' eventual triumph. These intertwining narratives collectively emphasize the festival's core essence: the victory of light over darkness and the restoration of cosmic order.

The Inner Battle: Transcending the Guṇas 

In the Devīmāhātmyam Mahiṣāsura represents the accumulated tamas (darkness, heaviness, inertia, illusion, ignorance) in our mind and body, which obstructs our spiritual progress. Śakti is the one who is invoked to slay this tamas. By walking this path of inner transformation we begin to awaken, churn and refine our guṇas (subtle qualities), which leads to the purification of the channels in our body — this is the aim of the tapas engaged in during these nine nights of Mā Durgā. This churning culminates with Cāmuṇḍā’s (awakening energy) triumph over Mahiṣāsura (our lower tendencies) and the restablishment of dhárma (life supporting action).

The real victory is the triumph of an inner battle —  ultimately transcending the veils of tamas that keep us in darkness to who we really are, the veils of Rajas (desire, ambition, momentum) that keep us locked into this dream and bound by the endless cycle of desire, action and fulfillment and ultimately sattva (light, purity, our true nature) guṇa, which still holds an even more sublte desire that too can be transcended — identifying with the ego (identification with being the doer) and being attached (to the fruits of our actions) — bound within the paris of opposites — good and bad, adversion and attraction, happiness and sadness. 

The Promise of Śakti

The Devīmāhātmyam ends with Śakti offering her promise to humanity to appear whenever she is called upon, to destroy evil and restablish harmony. As we continue to tend to śakti, and begin to establish a firm foundation in Her, we awaken our power to focus, to cultivate our dhāraṇā, and draw all our energies inside — ultimately transcended the guṇas (the fabric of this material world). This continued focus is the active meditation requesting our attention — calling us to become completely absorbed in Her. 

Artwork: Pinterest

Auspicous New Beginnings

In the Vedic tradition, Vijayadaśamī stands as one of the most auspicious days in the lunisolar calendar. Revered as one of the most favorable muhūrtas (auspicious time periods) for new beginnings, alongside Gudhi Pāḍavā (the lunisolar New Year), Akṣaya Tṛtīyā (the day of lasting achievements), and Divālī (the festival of lights and New Year), this day carries a unique spiritual potency. Its significance transcends individual astrological charts, making it universally propitious for initiating new ventures, especially in learning and creative pursuits. This auspiciousness aligns perfectly with the day's themes of victory and transcendence, providing a foundation for personal and spiritual growth.

The Path of Transformation

Just as Vijayadaśamī symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness in the cosmic realm, our personal journey calls us to confront and overcome our inner obstacles. One could say that the root of all evil is to separate - from source, oneself, and all our relations. I recall those moments where the invitation comes sweeping in and I find myself standing at the edge of that threshold.

To die in each moment to the false stories, beliefs and perceptions I’ve created or accepted about myself and this waking dream. To illumine the places untouched and hidden from view. That process which evokes one’s former limited identity to transform -  returning incoherency to coherency. 

Harmonizing mind, body and emotions through that courageous experience of grounding into something higher. A crucifixion and resurrection which awakens that Holy lamp within the center of the heart. 

I believe this is perhaps what the Sufis and many other traditions are speaking of — that victory of good over evil — to die before you die. That inner directed shift and right of passage that takes you over the threshold of irreversible change.

With that, I ask you my beloved brothers and sisters - when will you exchange your small life of separation, so that you can fulfill your greater part?

You may never feel ready to step completely into the Unknown and what awaits you is immeasurable love. The choice is yours. Love all ways

All my Relations

✨🤍✨

ॐ दुं दुर्गायै नमः | जय श्री रा

(Om Dum Durgayai Namah | Jai Shri Ram - Salutations to Goddess Durga | Victory to Lord Rama)

Jupiter Retrogrades in Mṛgaśirā: The Searching Star

Jupiter Retrogrades in Mṛgaśirā

Tōḍi Rāgiṇi: Kangra, Punjab Hills, mid 19th century

Oct 09, 2024 - Feb 04, 2025

We’re being churned by the many planetary shifts happening this month, including moving through the final eclipse season of the year, the awakening energies of Navarātri, and now, from October 9th to February 4th, Jupiter commences its annual retrograde motion (vakrī) in the constellation of Mṛgaśirā मृगशिरा (Taurus), the Searching Star — drawing us into an introspective search for truth and wisdom.

Jupiter, the planet of expansion, knowledge, sound, speech, and the teacher (Guru), now redirects its expansive energy inward, amplifying the nuanced themes of Mṛgaśirā—curiosity, the search for elusive wisdom, and the longing for deeper truths. Retrograde planets are traditionally said to increase in power, and Jupiter’s retrograde invites a deeper, more introspective search for clarity and understanding.

As the Jiva Karaka (significator of life) and the embodiment of discernment, Jupiter's retrograde calls us to refine our focus and reconsider what we are truly seeking. This is a time to align ourselves with enduring wisdom, restoring balance to areas of life where growth has felt superficial or scattered.

Mṛgaśirā, symbolized by soma (divine nectar), is magnetic and receptive, drawing life to itself and awakening a thirst for deeper understanding. Soma, associated with Chandra (the Moon), embodies the lunar principle of water, nourishing our spiritual evolution.

We are asked to refine our inner compass, grounding curiosity in the tangible and reconciling our desire for security with our quest for deeper meaning. This retrograde invites us to release distractions and realign with clarity. It’s a time to integrate the insights we’ve gathered and discern which teachings resonate with the soul.

Perhaps we’re being called to track back into our own creative intelligence—beyond thought and understanding, beyond knowledge gained from others and even wisdom distilled through the lens of the mind and intellect—an invitation to rest your awareness in the vast spaciousness of your own being.

Jupiter has been in Mṛgaśirā since mid-August—notice what energies are resurfacing as we reflect on the paths we’ve been exploring. We are invited to reassess the wisdom we've been pursuing and to refine our search for authentic understanding. On November 28th, Jupiter steps back into the constellation of Rohiṇī, shifting focus toward nurturing what has taken root, guiding us from inquiry to manifestation.

This is a time to slow down, recalibrate our efforts, and reflect on the resources we have cultivated—both within and around us. Are we nurturing the right seeds, or has our search become restless? Jupiter’s retrograde in Mṛgaśirā presents an opportunity to refine our focus, ensuring that our wisdom manifests in enduring ways aligned with the natural rhythms of life.

All My Relations

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” 

~ Rilke